Catholic Charities dinner salutes aiding veterans

For 90 years, officials with Catholic Charities have reached out to support families, the unemployed and the homeless. But perhaps lesser known is their broad-based initiative to serve veterans.

At a dinner held Saturday at the Chicago Hilton and Towers -- concluding the agency's 90th anniversary -- officials earmarked their Veterans' Initiatives programs in Cook and Lake counties for the evening's support.

Catholic Charities has reached out to returning veterans since the start of World War I.

Consequently, the event opened with a presentation of the colors by the U. S. Marines before members of the Stanley Paul Orchestra played the National Anthem. It was a bit unusual for the human service agency, but no less moving.

"It was a beautiful evening," says Sheila Haennicke, of Catholic Charities.

Francis Cardinal George and the Rev. Michael Boland, administrator, president and CEO of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago, met supporters as they led a receiving line of dignitaries on hand.

In all, 330 guests attended the gala dinner that culminated a yearlong anniversary celebration of the agency that began serving Chicago's poor in 1917. Saturday's dinner wound up raising approximately $110,000, officials said.

Catholic Charities' Veterans' Initiative programs range from short-term assistance, like food packages, to long-term transitional housing with on-site case management.

"Our veterans' programs give back to the men and women who have given so much in service to their country," Boland said. "Whether they are battling addiction, homelessness, unemployment or physical and mental health issues, Catholic Charities has a program to help."

Now in its 91st year, Catholic Charities is the largest private, nonprofit social service agency in the Midwest. Annually, it serves 1.1 million people in Cook and Lake counties, without regard to religious, ethnic or economic background.